Physical Security recruiters serving Pensacola.
At a $54,600 median, security and fire alarm systems installers in Pensacola earn 9% less than nationally; about 110 work in the metro. BLS counts 17 business locations of security systems integrators across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff, the state licensing rules that apply and the nearby markets competing for the same people.
Positions we recruit for in Pensacola.
BLS counts about 1,190 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Pensacola metro, the largest group being electricians (about 970). Relative to the size of the local economy, security and fire alarm systems installers are about as concentrated here as nationally (location quotient 1.02). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Physical Security hub.
Security Systems Installer / Technician
Pensacola: 110 employed · $54,600 median, 89th-highest of 110 metros
Access Control Technician
CCTV / Video Surveillance Technician
Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)
Pensacola: 970 employed · $50,510 median, 107th-highest of 112 metros
Alarm Systems Technician
Security Systems Project Manager
Pensacola: 440 employed · $102,140 median, 90th-highest of 111 metros
Security Systems Estimator
Pensacola: 240 employed · $70,260 median, 102nd-highest of 111 metros
Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator
Pensacola: 110 employed · $62,290 median, 100th-highest of 106 metros
Field Service Technician
Security Systems Foreman / Crew Lead
Pensacola: 1,450 employed · $70,510 median, 104th-highest of 112 metros
What Physical Security roles earn in Pensacola.
Security and fire alarm systems installers in Pensacola earn a median $54,600, 9% under the $60,070 national figure, and 89th of 110 metros. Pay runs $43,460 at the tenth percentile to $75,460 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians, at $62,290 against $78,190 nationally.
| Role | Pensacola median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security Systems Installer / Technician · Access Control Technician · CCTV / Video Surveillance TechnicianSecurity and Fire Alarm Systems Installers (49-2098) | $54,600 | $43,460–$75,460 | $60,070 | −9% | 110 |
| Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty)Electricians (47-2111) | $50,510 | $36,800–$73,990 | $63,190 | −20% | 970 |
| Security Systems Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $102,140 | $59,140–$200,580 | $114,990 | −11% | 440 |
| Security Systems EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $70,260 | $39,240–$126,250 | $78,740 | −11% | 240 |
| Integration Engineer / Systems IntegratorElectrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (17-3023) | $62,290 | $45,150–$95,010 | $78,190 | −20% | 110 |
| Security Systems Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers (47-1011) | $70,510 | $47,990–$99,920 | $79,920 | −12% | 1,450 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Pensacola metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile; management and office roles are metro-wide. A metro ranking counts only the metros where BLS publishes that occupation.
How Pensacola's physical security market has changed since 2018.
The number of security systems integrators in Pensacola rose from 13 in 2018 to 17 in 2023, up 31%, ahead of the 18% national rise. BLS stops short of publishing headcount and pay for them here, which happens when a handful of firms account for most of the work.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security systems integrators: business locations | 13 | 17 | +31% |
| Security systems integrators: employment | 140 | – | – |
| Security systems integrators: average annual pay | $50,333 | – | – |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Free Physical Security hiring resources.
Definitive Guide to Physical Security · 2026 Physical Security Salary Guide · 3-Step Interview Guide for Physical Security
Pensacola sits at about the national rate for physical security — neither unusually deep nor unusually thin.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Pensacola's physical security market compares
Among the 99 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Pensacola ranks 86th for headcount, 84th for median pay and 56th for concentration for security and fire alarm systems installers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | 2,220 | $60,560 | 1.42 | 369 |
| Orlando | 1,430 | $60,380 | 1.82 | 133 |
| Tampa | 1,110 | $61,040 | 1.38 | 146 |
| Jacksonville | 1,090 | $60,670 | 2.56 | 66 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | 330 | $60,440 | 1.95 | 54 |
| North Port-Sarasota | 260 | $58,550 | 1.36 | 39 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne | 170 | $59,620 | 1.27 | 26 |
| Port St. Lucie | 110 | $59,280 | 1.17 | 20 |
| Pensacola | 110 | $54,600 | 1.02 | 17 |
| Deltona-Daytona | 90 | $51,970 | 0.74 | 20 |
| Lakeland | 70 | $52,580 | 0.51 | 21 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For physical security employers in Pensacola, the pool is about the national norm for its size, so difficulty depends on the role more than the market.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Pensacola metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Physical Security licensing in Florida.
Alarm contractors are licensed as Alarm System Contractor I (all alarm systems) or II (excluding fire). Employees doing alarm work must be certified as alarm system agents, which requires board-approved training and an FDLE fingerprint background check every two years. The same state rules apply in Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, North Port-Sarasota, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Lakeland, Deltona-Daytona, Palm Bay-Melbourne and Port St. Lucie, so candidates licensed there can work in Pensacola without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board (Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Pensacola talent.
The closest metro we cover is New Orleans, about 175 miles away, with roughly 320 security and fire alarm systems installers (2.9 times Pensacola's 110). Birmingham pays the most nearby, a $63,350 median, 16% above Pensacola. That is the number any Pensacola offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Atlanta has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pensacola | – | 110 | $54,600 |
| New Orleans | 174 mi | 320 | $59,910 |
| Birmingham | 216 mi | 610 | $63,350 |
| Baton Rouge | 237 mi | 240 | $57,680 |
| Atlanta | 283 mi | 1,380 | $58,990 |
| Huntsville | 300 mi | 150 | $61,080 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Pensacola crews.
Not physical security work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Pensacola in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Pensacola International Airport Terminal Expansion & Modernization$6M (first phase FAA grant)First construction phase launching
Described as one of the largest infrastructure investments in the airport's history.
- "Project Maeve" shipbuilding facility (Port of Pensacola)$275M total ($105M construction program)Phase 1 panel line/module fabrication warehouse, then Phase 2 assembly bay
Establishes Birdon America Inc.'s Southeastern operations hub and a Tier 2 advanced ship manufacturing facility, $76M Triumph Gulf Coast grant and expected to create 2,000 jobs.
- Sacred Heart Children's Hospital expansion$85MCompleted 2019
A four-story, 175,000 sq ft addition plus 13,000 sq ft of renovation - a pediatric ED/trauma center, pediatric surgery, a 75-bed NICU, pediatric oncology, and an expanded Regional Perinatal Center. Historical project - kept for the healthcare-grade trades experience it demonstrates, not as an active current demand driver.
These are the 3 projects we track in Pensacola. The Pensacola market page covers hiring conditions across every trade here.
What credentials matter for physical security, and what kills offers in Pensacola.
The 4 credentials that gate the work and the 4 things that most often end a physical security offer are the same in every market, kept in one place: Physical Security credentials and offer risks, each linked to the body that issues it. What is local is the licensing rule above and the pay further up this page.
Frequently asked - Physical Security hiring in Pensacola.
What do security and fire alarm systems installers earn in Pensacola?
BLS puts the Pensacola median for security and fire alarm systems installers at $54,600 a year, 9% below the $60,070 national median. That ranks 89th of 110 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Most of the market sits between $43,460 and $75,460, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within Florida, Tampa pays more, at $61,040.
Is it hard to hire security and fire alarm systems installers in Pensacola?
It is about average. Security and fire alarm systems installers are as common in Pensacola as they are nationally (location quotient 1.02), with about 110 in the metro. With 31% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which physical security roles pay the most in Pensacola?
Of the roles we recruit for, Security Systems Project Manager pays the most in Pensacola, a $102,140 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator at $62,290, 39% below it. Low-Voltage Electrician (Security Specialty) is the lowest-paid field role at $50,510. Integration Engineer / Systems Integrator trails national pay the most (20% below).
How many security systems integrators operate in Pensacola?
BLS counted 17 security systems integrators in Pensacola in 2023. Up from 13 in 2018, a 31% increase against 18% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with Pensacola for security and fire alarm systems installers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are New Orleans (174 miles, about 320, $59,910 median), Birmingham (216 miles, about 610, $63,350 median) and Baton Rouge (237 miles, about 240, $57,680 median). New Orleans has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. New Orleans pays 10% more, which is where Pensacola employers tend to lose people.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
17 security systems integrators in Pensacola are drawing on the same 110 security and fire alarm systems installers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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